Towing vehicles or trailers are designed to secure and haul cargo. Trailers may be arranged to haul various types of cargo, such as boats, automobiles, consumer products, and the like. Many such cargo items may be large, heavy and difficult to move or maneuver onto the bed or frame of a towing trailer. To assist in moving or maneuvering the cargo onto the towing trailer, such trailers may often be equipped with a winch or winch assembly.
The winch assembly may commonly be attached to a tongue of the trailer. The winch may be connected to a cargo item by, for example, a strap, cable, rope, chain or the like that may aid in pulling the cargo item onto the trailer. The winch assembly may typically utilize a handle to rotate a drum to wind the strap or cable around the drum thereby pulling the cargo item towards the winch. The winch assembly may also be utilized to unload heavy items from the trailer by rotating the drum in the opposite direction thereby unwinding the strap or chain to allow the cargo item to be slid off of the trailer.